The invention pertains to the field of contact switches, and in particular, to contact switches for kinetic activity amusement games.
Kinetic activity amusement games, such as pin ball and the like, typically include a game board having a playing surface with a plurality of deflectors and obstacles attached thereto, one or more game balls, and means to urge the game balls onto and within the game board.
Such amusement games also typically include electronic contact switches having bumper portions responsive to impact by a game ball rolling on the game board such that when a game ball impacts the contact switch with sufficient energy, the contact switch is temporarily closed, completing an electrical circuit through the switch. The closed state of the contact switch can serve to increment a game score, or can serve some other game-related purpose such as initiating a sound or a secondary kinetic activity in the game board.
Such contact switches typically include means to bias the switch into a rest position (usually an electrically xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d condition), such that after an impact of the switch by a game ball and the subsequent rebound of the game ball, the contact switch returns to the rest (i.e., open) position.
The present invention pertains to a contact switch for a kinetic activity amusement game, such as described above. The kinetic activity amusement game has a game board with a playing surface upon which a game ball may roll. The contact switch has a contact bumper portion located above the playing surface of the game board, which contact bumper is removably connected to a universal joint having a ball mounted within a complementary socket located within an interior space of the game board. The contact bumper is responsive to impact by a game ball rolling on the game boardxe2x80x94approaching from any anglexe2x80x94such that when a game ball impacts the contact bumper with sufficient kinetic energy, the contact bumper deflects (i.e., rotates about the universal joint) and the contact switch is temporarily closed, completing an electrical circuit through the switch. The closed state of the contact switch can serve to increment a game score, or can serve some other game-related purpose such as initiating a sound or a secondary kinetic activity in the game board.
The contact switch includes an electrically conductive coil spring having a first end connected to the ball of the universal joint and a second end in contact with a base. An electrode has contact portions disposed in a circular pattern around the coil spring between the two ends of the coil spring. When the contact switch is in a rest position, the coil spring is in a substantially at-rest condition, and the contact portions of the electrode are disposed substantially concentrically around a longitudinal axis of the coil spring and are spaced radially outwardly from an outside surface of the coil spring.
A power source is connected between the coil spring and the electrode. In the rest position, the contact switch is in an xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d condition. When a game ball impacts the contact bumper, the contact bumper is deflected thereby rotating the ball of the universal joint and distorting the coil spring. When the contact bumper and ball of the universal joint deflect a predetermined distance (angle), the coil spring contacts the contact portions of the electrode thereby completing (i.e., xe2x80x9cclosingxe2x80x9d) the circuit comprising the power source the coil spring and the electrode.
A semi-rigid elongated biasing element, such as a wire element, extends from the ball of the universal joint and contacts the base portion. The biasing element is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the coil spring, when the contact switch is in the rest position. The biasing element is in a substantially at-rest condition when the contact switch is in the rest position and is in a distorted condition when the switch is in the closed condition, whereby the biasing element serves to bias the contact switch toward the rest position.
After the game ball rebounds from the contact bumper, the coil spring and/or the biasing element serve to return the switch to the rest position (i.e., the xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d condition), with the contact bumper and biasing element substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the coil spring.